Book excerpt: She inherits a house in Toronto. He’s her hot next-door neighbor. First in series! When small-town engineer Amy Sharpe inherits a house in Toronto, she decides it’s the perfect opportunity to start over and go back to school. Away from the family that takes her for granted, away from the ex who expected so much and gave little in return. The new Amy enjoys wandering around the city and frequenting bubble tea shops, German beer halls, dim sum restaurants, and coffee bars serving Japanese pastries. She has a roommate with the same name as her favorite fictional character, and a group of friends who meet at a cider bar every couple of weeks. The new Amy is also in lust with her brooding, tattooed next-door neighbor, Victor Choi, who is far from friendly but looks really hot cutting the grass without a shirt. Too bad the grass doesn’t grow faster. As she starts telling him about her daily adventures—and as a little kissing in the garden becomes a regular activity—Amy begins to feel more than lust. But she fears she’s falling into her old patterns in relationships and refuses to let herself be underappreciated again. Is Victor really more than a hot fling? And what’s he hiding behind that grumpy exterior? * * * Jackie Lau writes soft and steamy romances with Asian characters. This is the first book in the Cider Bar Sisters series, a collection of interconnected standalones about friends who regularly meet up at a cider bar in Toronto. 1. Her Big City Neighbor 2. His Grumpy Childhood Friend 2.5 Her Pretend Christmas Date 3. The Professor Next Door 4. Her Favorite Rebound 5. Her Unexpected Roommate Also available in audio. Read by Emily Woo Zeller. KEYWORDS: interracial romance, Asian hero, Toronto, romantic comedy, contemporary romance, steamy romance, spicy rom-com, grumpy sunshine, opposites attract, neighbors, neighbours, big city romance, Canadian romance, foodie romance, happy ending, no cliffhanger, lighthearted romance, light romance, low angst